Stunning photos of blood moon
IT was the longest blood red moon appearance this century, which gave photographers across the country a perfect opportunity to capture the lunar eclipse.
Former Toowoomba man Stephen Reid, who is now the principal at Killarney State School, woke up early on Saturday morning to do just that.
He set his camera up near Warwick and took several images of the blood moon. Unfortunately due to the sun rising he was only able to capture half of the eclipse, but that doesn’t make his image any less stunning.
Mr Reid shared two composite images on his Facebook page Stephen Reid Photography.
The most striking composite image features the Milky Way in the background.
Mr Reid said the Milky Way image was taken previously and he then added the eclipse onto the background.
The second image only shows the brightest stars and is closer to the more traditional presentation as it blends the shadow on the moon more realistically compared to the sky.
The Milky Way image was shared on Higgins Storm Chasing Facebook page where it was shared more than 500 times and received more than 2700 likes and comments.
Mr Reid said he had tried to capture several blood moons in the past but the weather was not often in his favour.
“This photo is a long time in the making. I’ve tried to capture it before but it’s been foggy or cloudy so it was great to have such perfect weather,” he said.
“It’s received a bit of attention and I think that is because people love seeing the natural world. Seeing photos like this gives them a glimpse into a world they can’t usually access.
“Outside the city you can see starry skies like this but not in the cities and with the blood moon not everyone is willing to get up early to see it.”
Mr Reid has been a photographer for most of his life and focuses on landscape photography and in particular he loves capturing the Milky Way.
“I always have a picture in mind when going out to take a photo so it is always great to see it come together at the end,” he said.
Mr Reid also takes portraits and photographs weddings, but always makes sure he utilises the landscape.
Visit Stephen Reid Photography to see more of his works.